The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-07-13

tisn's History.
THE HANPToEs, July 10.-The Brooklyn
Tabernacle being closed for enlargement
the Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage, ID. ID, pas
tor, spent his first Sabbath away from
his flock the present season at this sum-
mer home. His subject for today was,
From Dungeon to Palace, andThis text,
'"The time Of my departure is at hand
III Timothy iv, g.
The way out Of this world is so blocked
up with coffin and hearse, and under
takers spade and screwdriver that the
Christian can hardly think as he ought of
the most cheerful passage in all his his
tory. We hang black instead of white
over the place where the good man gets
his last victory. We stand weeping over
heap Of chains which the freed soul lfas
shaken off, and we say: Poor man,
What "A pity it was he had to come
TO this"' Come TO WHAT BY the time
the people have assembled at the obsequies
that man has been three days so happy
that all the joy of earth accumulated
would be wretehedness beside it, and he
might better weep over you because you
have TO stay, than you weep over him be-
cause he has TO 90. 1t is a fortunate
thing that n good man does not have to
be so discordant with his own experience.
II the Israelites should go back to Egypt
and mourn over the brick kilns they once
left, they would not be any more silly
than that Christian who should forsake
heaven and come down and mourn be
cause he had 10 leave this world Our
ideas OF the Christians death are morbid
and sickly We look upon it as a dark
hole, in which a man stumbles when his
breath gives out. This whole subject is
odorous with varnish and disinfectants,
Instead Of being sweet with mignonette.
Paul, in my text, takes that great closl Of
n word, death" and throws it away,
and speaks Of his "departure''-a beauti-
full, bright, suggestive word, descriptive
Of every Christians release
Now, departure implies a starting place
and n place of destination. When Paul
left this world what was the starting
pointf 1t was a scene of great physical
distress. 1t was the Tullianum, the lower
dungeon of the Mamertine prison. The
top dungeon was bad enough, it having
no means of ingress or egress but through
an opening in the top. Through that the
prisoner was lowered, and through that
came all the food and air and light re
ceived 1t was a terrible place, that
upper dungeon; but the Tullianum was
the lower dungeon, and that was still
more wretched the only light and the
only air coming through the roof, and
that roof the floor of the upper dungeon.
That was Pauls last earthly residence
II was dungeon just six feet and half
high. 1t was doleful place. 1t had the
chill of long centuries of dampness. 1t
was filthy with the long incorporation of
miserable wretches. 1t was there that
is CT y -
IS there that i see him today, in the fear
full dungeon, shiering, blue with the
cold, waiting for that old overcoat which
he had sent for up to Troas, and which
they had not yet sent down, notwithstand-
ing he had written for it,
If some skillful surgeon should 90 into
that dungeon where Paul is incarcerated.
we might find out what are the prospects
of Paul's living through the rough i'm
prisonment. In the first place. he is an
old man, only two years short of TO- At
that very time when he Inest needs the
warmth and the sunlight and the fresh
air, he is shut out from the sun. What
are those scars on his anklesp Why those
were gotten when he was fast, his feet in
the stocks. Every time he turned the
flesh on his ankles started. What are
those scars on his back? You know he
thirty nine strokes-195 bruises on the
back Count themD made by the Jews
with rods Of elmwood, each one of the 1876
strokes bringing the blood. Look at
Paul's face and look at his arms.
Where did he get those bruises?
j think it was when he was struggling
ashore amidst the shivered timbers
of the shipwreck. l see cash in Paul's
side. Where did he get that9 / think he
got that in the tussle with highwaymen.
for he had been in peril of robbers and he
had money of his own. He was n me-
chanic rs well as an apostle, and think
the tents he made were as good as his ser
mons.
There is a wanness about Paul's looks.
What makes that2 think part of that
came from the fact that he was for
twenty-four hours on plank in the
Mediterranean sea, suffering terribly be-
fore he was rescued; for he says posi-
lively: 81 was a night and a day in the
deep" oh, worn out, emaciated old
mani surely you must be melancholy.
No constitution could endure this and be
cheerful. But | press my way through
the prison until | come up close to where
he.is, and by the faint light that streams
through the opening / see on his face a
supernatural joy, and / bow before him,
and / say: Gagged man, how can you
keep cheerful amidst all this gloom?'' His
voice startles the darkness of the place as
he cries out: 81 am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure
is at hand" Harki what is that shuffliIfg
of feet in the upper dungeon? Why, Paul
has an invitation to a. banquet, and he is
going to dine today with the king. Those
shufIiing feet are the feet of the exscu-
TONERS ~ They come, and they cry down
through the hole of the dungeon: Hurry
up, old man. Come now; get yourself
ready" Why, Paul was ready. He had
nothing TO pack up. He had no baggage
to take He had been ready good while.
/ see him rising up, and Strengthening out
his stiffened limbs, and pushing back his
white hair from his creviced forehead, and
see him looking up through the hole in the
roof of the dungeon into the face of his
executioner, and hear him say: az am
now ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand" Then they lift
him out of the dungeon, and they start
with him to the place of execution. They
say; Hurry along, old man, or you will
along" GLOW far is it," says Paul, 1--WE
have to travels'' ''Three miles" Three
miles is good way for an old
man to travel after he has been
whipped and crippled with mall
treatment. But they soon get to the place
of execution-Acquae Salvia-and he Is
fastened to the pillar Of martyrdom. 1t
does not take any strength to tie him fast.
He makes no resistance. o PAUL. why
not strike for your life1 You have great
many friends here. With that withered
hand just launch the thunderbolt of the
people upon those infamous soldiers. Mol
L..ul WAS not going to interfere with his
o'T'.,'oroaation. He was too glad to go.
see him looking mp into the face Of his ex-
ecutioner, and, as the grim official draws
the sword, Paul calmly says: II am now
ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at handn But / put
my hand over my eyes. / want not to see
that last struggle. One sharp, keen
stroke, and Paul does go to the banquet,
and Paul does dine with the King.
What transition it was. From the
malaria Of Rome to the finest climate in
all the universe-the zone of eternal
beauty and health. His ashes were put
In the catacombs of Rome, but in one
moment the air of heaven bathed from
ms soul the last ache. From shipwreck.
from dungeon, from the biting pain Of the
elm wood rods, from the sharp sword of
the headsman, he goes into the most bril-
liant assemblage of heaven, a king among
kings, multitudes of the sainthood rushing
out and stretching forth hands of wei
come; for do really think that as ON the
right hand of God is Christ, so on the
right hand of Christ is Paul, the second
great in heaven.
He changed kings likewise Before the
hour Of death and up to the last moment
he was under Nero, the thick necked. the
cruel eyed,lt filthy Tipped; the sculptured
features OF that man bringing down
tc us to this very day the horrible
possibilities of his nature-seated as he
was amidst pictured marbles Of Egypt
under a roof adorned with mother of
pearl, Gin dining room which by ma
chinery was kept whirling day and night
with most bewifchino r,aopifca,,o. X Il